Undergraduate Academic English support

The In-Sessional Academic English team at Upgrade offer courses for international and English as an additional language students who need to develop their Academic English in order to complete their assignments effectively.

Current modules

This module is a single credit level 4 module for students who speak English as an additional language in the first stage of their studies in any field apart from business. The module is primarily designed for students who have previously had little or no previous training or experience of study in Academic English.

The module develops academic discourse, academic conventions, writing skill and text organisation and helps students perform the academic written assessment tasks they are required to undertake in their undergraduate programme in the following text types: essays and reports. Integrated throughout is the development of academic language use, functions, grammar and vocabulary. Reflective writing, critical evaluation and evaluation of peers and self is built into the syllabus. A further aim of the module is skills and knowledge transfer to the field of study.

This module is a single credit level 4 module for students with English as an additional language in the first stage of their studies in business or business related subjects. The module is primarily designed for students who have previously had little or no previous training or experience of study in Academic English.

The module develops academic language use, academic text organisation, discipline specific language, academic conventions and writing skill. U70910 aims to help students perform the academic written assessment tasks they have to undertake in their undergraduate programme in the field of business in the following text types: essays, reports and case studies. Reflective writing and critical evaluation is built into the syllabus and is assessed. Integrated throughout is the development of academic language competence in academic discourse, functions, grammar, vocabulary and discipline specific vocabulary. A further aim of the module is skills and knowledge transfer within the field of study and professional contexts.

The assessment consists of two coursework tasks: a case study report and an essay.

The module provides opportunities for the development and practice of listening, seminar and presentation skills to students whose first language is not English. The module is designed for students who have not studied academic listening and speaking previously.

The aim is to improve students' proficiency and confidence in the use of spoken Academic English, particularly in relation to the tasks which feature in their university studies, for example, engaging in group seminars, listening to lectures and delivering research based academic presentations. Integrated in the syllabus is a language syllabus including academic functions, pronunciation, academic style and vocabulary.

This module is designed to develop your academic communication skills for use on other modules across your programme and to contribute to your professional graduate attributes in the field of business. It is for students with English as an additional language who are studying business related subjects. It is designed for students who have little or no previous Academic English language training and are less familiar with studying in an English medium higher education environment.

The module aims to improve academic communication in a business context, primarily in writing and reading skills, with some development of speaking skills. It develops language competence in academic business discourse, functions, grammar and vocabulary as well as that required for expressing critical evaluation. The module helps students perform the assessment tasks required in their undergraduate stage 2 programme in the field of Business. These include essays, critical reviews, case studies and research reports. Language and skills necessary for group work tasks, discussion seminars and presentations are integrated into the lectures.

The module also introduces and raises awareness to aspects of language and discourse necessary for completing literature reviews and dissertations. While supporting the student in their studies, the module also aims to link the academic to the professional by performing these tasks in an authentic business context.

This module is a single credit, level 5 module for students who speak English as an additional language studying any field apart from business. The module is primarily designed for students who have previously had little or no previous training or experience of study in Academic English in an HE setting.

The module aims to develop Academic English language and skills. It raises awareness to the organisation and conventions of a range of core academic spoken and written genres for different audiences. This includes essays, reports, critical reviews, presentations and seminars. Critical reading and research skills are developed as well as academic language skills, including functions, grammar and vocabulary. Reflective writing and evaluation of peers and self is built into the syllabus. A further aim of the module is skills and knowledge transfer to students' field of study.

The assessment consists of a research report, an argument essay and an individual presentation.

The modules above are designed for students with little or no training in Academic English who are new to studying in the English university system.

They can be taken, preferably in your first semester, as an 8th module or an additional 9th module on your programme, with no extra charge.

Dissertation support

Final year international students or those with English as an additional language who are writing dissertations can get face-to-face writing consultations. These 30-minute sessions are designed to give you feedback on the part of your dissertation that you have emailed us in advance. We will help you identify aspects of your Academic English that need to be prioritised for development.

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